Meeting Dylan
by Music's Note
Summary: Max meets Dylan, and she can't figure out what he's planning- all she knows is that, according to Angel, he'll be the one who kills Fang. Mostly written before I read MR6, so no spoilers.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N- This is just a couple of scenes I wrote for my friend, imagining how Max would meet Dylan. Because I lack the time and motivation to plot/write the whole story, I imagine it will end up as a five-shot, and I'll just explain what's going on between each scene beforehand.**

**For those of you who are horribly confused and don't know who Dylan is, go look at the summary of FANG on James Patterson's website before reading this.**

**Anyway, I wrote this in November, but then lost it and highly procrastinated on the rewriting of it. So here it is, finally. Yay!**

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"Where the hell is this?" I mumbled to myself. Fang shrugged, but I could sense the waves of tension rolling off his body. There was something _weird _about this place.

We'd entered an almost-empty room, with cheap-looking grey carpet and dirty white walls. There was only one window, facing the hallway, and I realized it was made of one-way glass, looking out. In the middle of the room stood the whitecoat we'd met in Itex, holding a small silver remote.

"We'd hoped you'd come alone, Max," Dr. Roberts said.

"The Flock is with me," I replied coolly. Fang and Iggy came and stood on either side of me to emphasize, arms crossed over their chests, looking, well, pretty menacing_._ I almost smiled at the whitecoat's fearful expression.

"…Right," the scientist said. He took a couple of steps away from the boys, toward a laptop that rested on a small cart in the corner, already opened and powered up. "Well then… do you know why we asked you to come today, Max?" He asked. _We?_

"What would be the point of you asking me here if I already knew what you were going to say?"

"True enough," he chuckled. "As you know, you were created at the School fourteen years ago, under the supervision of the Director. I believe you two have met."

"Unfortunately."

"During those years, most of the scientists working on you were interested in one aspect of you, and one alone; your one purpose was that you were going to save the world someday. You needed to be flawless. You needed to be strong. You needed people who would fight with you, no matter what the cost." He glanced at Iggy and Fang beside me, and then at the younger kids standing behind us, smiling a little bit. "And so, she ordered the creation of the rest of the Flock."

_Thank goodness. _Without them, I had nothing.

All of this was irrelevant, though, just the back story. "You haven't explained anything yet."

Dr. Roberts' ignored my impatience, his expression changing into one of intent thought. "But then me, and several of my colleagues began to wonder," he continued. He began to slowly walk back and forth several feet. "What if one of the flock got sick?" He paused. "Or hurt?" He looked up, directly at me, the intensity of his gaze sending a shiver down my spine. "What if you ever wanted something… _more?"_

Suddenly, I wasn't so sure I knew what he was talking about.

With a quick, swift movement, the scientist punched some buttons on his remote. The lights in the room went out, and I went into a fight-or-flight stance, ready to tear the heck out of there. _Stupid! _I'd led all of them directly into a whitecoat trap.

But then the room was brightened, barely, by the blue glow of… information. Each wall around us was suddenly a projection screen, covered in scrolling codes, mathematical equations, diagrams. They flowed down the wall, disappearing into the floor too fast to read, so I only caught flashes. There was a faceless digitalized 3D model of one of the boys, showing muscle structure, the organization of organs, and lists of vital stats. There were pictures of _us_, newspaper clippings and brief video clips from what looked like the 6 o'clock news. Photos of buildings, blueprints of the school. A picture of the Institute that gave me a strange sense of déjà-vu…

And then, as quickly as it had appeared, it stopped, and the lights snapped back on.

"Impressive show," I muttered sarcastically.

"Max." The whitecoat's tone was patient. "I've called you here today to show you something incredible. Something completely new, that science has never attempted before." He closed his laptop. "Fourteen years ago, Max, my team and I began a project that we knew would take extreme trial and error. Extreme patience. Maximum effort." He gave us a small smile. "So many tests. So many adjustments. And now, it's finally ready for you. Perfection."

I took in a sharp, silent breath. Suddenly, a small part of me screamed that I should _run, _take the flock and get away from here before I could discover the horror of what he was about to say next.

But of course, it was too late.

"Max, we've created your perfect soul-mate."

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**I'll only say it once; reviews are loved :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Oh my goodness, I am dying of anticipation of MR6! It's very unfair that people in Australia and the UK get it over a month before everyone else (Meaning me; The injustice of life!). My beta and I keep stumbling across spoilers on the internets and it's starting to get annoying. Does anyone else agree?**

**Anyway, I am so relieved to finally be posting this chapter. I've been editing it like crazy for the past couple of weeks, and this version bears absolutely no resemblance to the first one. Thank God for the backspace button.**

**One last thing: I forgot the disclaimer last chapter (oopsie), so here it is:**

Disclaimer: You know what I'm going to say, so why bother reading this? I do not own Maximum Ride or anything else famous enough for you to recognize.

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Max POV

For a second, I froze. I felt Fang stiffen beside me. Ignoring him, I stared at Dr. Roberts blankly, my mind reeling. _What?  
_  
And then, I laughed.

"Okay. Soul-mate. Right." I jerked my thumb over my shoulder. "Let's go, guys." My words roused the flock out of their stillness, but I couldn't help the embarrassed, mortified flush on my cheeks. They thought they'd created my perfect man? They didn't even _know_ me.

Besides, I already had one of those.

"At least stay long enough to let me explain-"

"Oh, I've heard enough." I tried to laugh again, but it sounded forced. "We're out of here," I turned to leave. "Bother us again, and you'll be sorry." I was half-way out the door.

"I think not. Now, Dylan!" The doctor screamed.

_No, my name is Max, _I was about to say, but something -_someone_- slammed into me from the side too fast for me to see, which was pretty dang _fast_. I was knocked off my feet and shoved across the floor into the wall behind me. Ouch.

Chips of plaster from the ceiling rained down on me while I gasped, trying to regain my breath. The world was spinning; stars swirled above my head. Finally, I managed to blink up at my attacker. And then, my jaw almost dropped.

It was a boy, who I guessed was around fourteen or fifteen. He was surprisingly good-looking- just a bit shorter than Iggy, I reckoned, with evenly tanned, flawless skin that bore no marks or scars. Light freckles covered the bridge of his nose, and his hair was a sandy blond color, flopping over one of his bright blue eyes. But none of these were what held my attention.

Behind him, poking out of holes in his shirt, was a pair of golden-white wings. It was real. There was another one like us; a seventh avian-human hybrid. Another bird-kid.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, it hit me- the 3D diagram that I'd seen in the flash of images. It wasn't of one of _my_ boys. It was this one- Dylan.

"Max," he breathed. He said my name like the softest caress, his blue eyes staring into mine, full of… adoration? My name wasn't a question, but a statement. He recognized me.

"That's me," I said. And then I pulled my leg back and kicked him in the stomach, feeling something crack beneath the force of the blow.

Dylan stumbled backwards toward the whitecoat, more out of surprise then force, the look in his eyes more pained then shocked. _Rejected._

Within a second, Fang came forward and held out his hand, helping me to my feet. I stood, still a little shaky, and glared at Dr. Roberts and his experiment. Then, I glanced back at my flock, who stood silent and wide-eyed, with the exception of one.

"Let's go." Without looking to see if they were behind me, I turned and slid out into the hallway, feeling Dylan's gaze on my back long after I was out of sight.

* * *

The fly home was quieter than usual, as to be expected. Each of us were wrapped up in our own private thoughts, with zero desire to share them. Fang strayed toward the back of the flock for a change, and even though I wasn't surprised, it still hurt.

I sighed. He and I would have to talk about this later, for sure.

But I couldn't concentrate on him for too long. My mind kept switching back and forth between the doctor and the strange images we'd seen…

And of course, those eyes. Those bright blue, adoring eyes that never looked away.

Dylan POV

She had no idea how long he'd been waiting for her- that much was clear in her tone after his father had told her the news; in her disbelieving laughter he'd heard echoing through the hallway. She didn't believe in anything else his father had told her, either; it showed in the way she'd escaped out the door as fast as possible, the look on her face as she'd stared into his eyes for the first time…

Dylan sighed, leaning back in his chair. Eyes. Max's eyes. For the split second he'd seen them up close, they'd been wide with surprise at his fast movements, his strength, his existence alone…

But _he'd_ been even more surprised by how... unprepared he'd been! For years, his father had been prepping him, testing his limits, fixing his design flaws, for one reason and one reason only: so he would be good enough for _her_. Maximum Ride.

And from the second he saw her, Dylan knew that his father's mission had failed. It had been a failure from the beginning. One glance into her eyes had shown him that no one _could_ be good enough for her. She was headstrong and loving and tough and brave and sweet and feisty and beautiful and… no one could ever live up to her, soul mate or not. He would _never_ be prepared.

Of course, that would never stop him from trying. Or others, as it were. Without thinking, Dylan's fingers clenched into fists.

"Don't be discouraged, son," his father said, noticing and misreading his agitation. "It went exactly as we expected. And I have a plan."

Dylan nodded, not bothering to clue in his father. Really, how had he not noticed?

_Well, _Dylan supposed, _he's never been a perceptive one. _Still, he'd be sure to keep this new bit of knowledge to himself, just until he could find a way around it; the one problem they _hadn't _expected.

The _other._ The tall dark one. His new rival.

The one called Fang.

**

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**

**Oh. Snap.**

Like I said, I edited this a whole bunch, so if you find any huge grammatical errors or words that obviously do not belong in a sentence, I would love to know. :)


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N - I'm not going to pretend that I'm unaware it's been forever since I've updated; my beta has already slapped me on the hand and taken away my cookies. These last two chapters should come faster now- I try to update once a week (...cough...), and hopefully by telling you so I'll be motivated to actually stick to it.**

**Shout-out to Twi-Rider for wanting to tear Dylan into tiny pieces with a spork, and to Sallafe K because sugar-highs are awesome.**

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Fang POV

That night, sleep proved impossible. It might have been because the mattress I was on was unusually lumpy (I'd slept on cave floors more comfortable) or maybe it was because Gazzy was totally hogging the bed (a mere two inches were all that separated me from tumbling to the floor.)

No matter the reason, my brain was on overdrive. The scene wouldn't stop replaying itself in my head; Max's expression… the other bird-kid slamming her into the wall...

_We've created your perfect soul-mate…_

No.

I picked at a hole in the sheets with the side of my fingernail. Max knew what was good for her. She knew which birdkids had saved her bacon more times than any of us could count. She knew whitecoats couldn't be trusted, and that_ I_ was the one that was supposed to be with her, not some random wonder-bird fabricated by a group of scientists.

And besides, Max didn't like him anyway.

I rolled over, closed my eyes, and took a deep breath. Being jealous of Dylan was absolutely ridiculous.

At least, that was what I'd keep telling myself.

***

I woke up from a light doze to feel something tickling my face, and quickly realized it was Max's hair as she leaned over my bed. Her bright smile shone briefly in the darkness. "Yo, Fang. Let's get out of here."

I didn't have to be asked twice; Moving silently, as always, I threw off the covers and grabbed a nearby pair of jeans. Max was already out the door.

I followed the sound of her quick footsteps down the hallway and into the parking lot. A soft breeze tossed my hair around my face as I stared up into the cloudy night sky. She already soared there, circling slowly above the motel.

Slowly, I unfurled my wings, reveling in the feeling of the stretch, before launching myself into the air. Even without the super-speed, it was hard to catch up to her. That was Max; always making things difficult for me. Never taking the easy way.

But, somehow, being completely head-over-heels, I found it hard to care. She was here with _me_ now.

Or maybe not. Max was starting to get too far ahead- even with my raptor vision, she was a simple speck on the horizon, a black dot making loop-d-loops in the air.

I trailed behind her for a while, enjoying the subtle breeze and reveling in the simplicity of the flight. The ocean emerged in my vision, growing until it took up the entire horizon. Max swooped down, diving gracefully towards the water, and for a moment I thought she was going to dive in, until I saw it; sticking out of the shore, isolated and quiet.

"Whoa," I said, landing smoothly on the deck. "Déjà vu much?"

Of course, it wasn't the same dock; we weren't even in the same state. But it was eerily similar- the bright moon suspended in the sky, reflected in the glassy waters, the familiar, soothing, rocking motion of the dock. Me and Max, completely alone.

And tonight, no one was running.

A breeze picked up, and I shivered. It was cooler here by the water.

"Sorry," Max said awkwardly, shoving her hands into her pockets. "I didn't really think to bring a jacket. We can go-"

I cut her off by holding up my palm. Then I settled down, legs over the edge of the deck, pulling her down next to me. With her warmth pressing against me, things were almost perfect. "This is nice," I said honestly.

"Yeah." Max glanced down at her hands in her lap, and then out at the horizon, refusing to meet my eyes. A stray piece of her hair was caught in the breeze, distracting me. For a long time it was silent.

"So," she said finally.

"So," I repeated. It was almost funny, seeing the indestructible Maximum Ride at a loss for words. Was she witty? Yes. Could she sass an enemy to tears in three seconds flat? You betcha.

Could she articulate her feelings for her best friend/ boyfriend? Absolutely not.

"About today…" she took a deep breath, looking as if she wanted nothing more than the ocean to rise and swallow her up, right then and there. "Are we still on track?" She asked finally.

"You're ripping off my material, Max," I sighed, grabbing her hand. She gripped it as if it were the only thing keeping her here, her knuckles turning white. Her skin there was almost as scarred as mine, but still soft.

Scarred but soft; that was the perfect description of Max.

"I'm sorry, Fang," she said finally, bringing me back to the moment. I looked up at her, surprised.

"For what?"

"That you… he…" she trailed off, shaking her head. "It's insane, the things they try to do."

I couldn't say I disagreed. _We've created your perfect soul-mate…_

I shivered again, but this time it wasn't from the cold.

Max took a deep breath. "I guess what I'm trying to say is, this doesn't mean anything. You and me; we're still you and me."

I couldn't help it- I laughed out loud.

Max looked over at me, brows furrowed in confusion. I could see the whole ocean reflected in her eyes. "What?" She demanded.

"I've told you before, Max," I chuckled. Gently, I tucked the stray hair behind her ear. "You and me; we're not changing."

"I guess not." She frowned (what did _that _mean?), and looked at the horizon again. We stayed like that for a long time, until I broke the silence, saying, "Hey, Max? Do you ever want to just… swim away?"

"Well, technically, we could."

"But do you _want_ to? To just… dive in?"

She didn't answer me; but it was obvious she was fighting a smirk. "This from the kid who was afraid of the movie _Finding Nemo_?"

Oh, she just _had_ to bring thatup. Not cool. "I was six, and it was _scary_."

She gave up resistance. "We didn't have a TV 'till we were ten."

"Whatever. You'll be swimming with the fishes soon."

She opened her mouth, but before she could ask, I let go of her hand and shoved her off the side of the deck. I tried to move but was too slow- her fingers found my ankle at the last second, and suddenly I was falling too.

But somehow, falling for her wasn't so bad.

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**OOC? Maybe. Adorable? Yes.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N- I have many excuses as to why I didn't update when I said I would, but that list would be longer then the chapter itself, so here's the short version: Finals and laziness. I won't bore you with the details.**

**Anyway, this is the longest chapter yet, so I decided I'm going to split it in half and post it as two chapters instead of one. So this story is going to end up being a 6-shot. Whoopie!**

**This scene jumps forward about a week or two in time from the last one. It's now the day of Total's wedding. **

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Max POV

"This dress is absolutely ridiculous," I said, staring at my reflection in horror. Layers and layers of what could only be described as _poof_ devoured my body from the waist down. "Not to mention impractical."

"Oh, shut up and smile," said Nudge, hands on her hips, surveying the source of my anguish with pride. "You look great."

I couldn't help but blush at the compliment, turning back to the mirror. Over the past three hours, I had been washed, dried, plucked and powdered, not to mention curled, crimped, filed, and then curled again. The overall result was astonishing; I hardly recognized myself. "You did a great job."

"That I did." Nudge grinned. "Now get out," she added. "I have to change." I'd barely made it out of my chair when I tripped.

Nudge sighed in exasperation. "You have to hold it the skirt up when you walk," she said slowly, as if explaining quantum physics to a four year old. "And while you're at it, please,_ try_ not to mess up your hair."

"Got it!" She snickered as I teetered unsteadily into the hallway, obviously trying to avoid falling on my face.

There really wasn't anyplace for me to go before the wedding without getting in the way of things, so I wandered the bright hallways of the church alone, simultaneously examining the stained glass windows and hoping that I didn't twist an ankle in my high heels.

At least, I'd _thought_ I was alone.

"Hey," said a voice out of nowhere, and I jumped and whirled around. Fang was leaning against the wall, grinning at my obvious shock.

"Will I ever stop being surprised when you just appear out of nowhere?" I asked, regaining my breath. "You just gave me a mini heart-attack there."

"Sorry," he said, but his grin stretched even wider. My heart pounded. "Would you forgive me if I said you looked beautiful?"

"Thank Nudge," I mumbled, blushing and looking away. (Note to self: learn how to take compliments gracefully.) Fang was looking pretty spiffy himself, with his black suit, dress shoes and tie. His hair was even combed- I couldn't remember the last time I'd seen it like that.

He looked incredibly hot. Handsome, even.

Of course, I wasn't going to tell _him_ that.

But maybe I should've.

Fang's arm snaked around my waist, and I leaned into his warmth. He touched his forehead to mine, and we stood there together for several minutes without saying anything, enjoying each other's presence. With his arms around me, protecting me from the rest of the world, I let myself pretend that everything was the way it should be: perfect.

"Max?" Fang's voice was softer than one of his feathers.

"Mmhm?" My way with words was truly remarkable.

"I love you."

...

Wait, _what?!_

"Max?" Fang started to break our embrace, dark eyes looking at me in concern, and I realized I'd stopped breathing. I made sure to inhale, and prayed for my own sake that the pound and a half of makeup Nudge had caked onto my face could hide the color burning in my cheeks. "Are you okay? Did I-"

"I'm fine," I assured him quickly. _Exhale. _Was my voice higher then usual? _Inhale._ "Really. I-"

But I never got a chance to tell him how I felt, because at that moment, the doors leading to the main part of the church slammed open, bouncing off the walls with a loud, resonating _bang! _Fang and I jumped apart and turned to see Angel, standing there with her hands on the doorframe, eyes frantic.

"There you two are!" She exclaimed, trying to sound cheerful but not completely hiding the strained tone underneath. "Fang, Iggy was looking for you outside, do you mind?" Without waiting for his reply she turned to me, panic leaking into her expression. "Max, I need to talk to you alone. _Now._"

***

Angel's little hand was literally cutting off the circulation around my wrist as she dragged me down the hallway, but the only thing I could do was try my hardest to keep up without tripping over my poofy dress.

"Where are we going?" I demanded as she pushed me through an 'Employees Only' door –churches had employees?- and began pulling me up a flight of stairs.

"Don't ask questions, just come with me!" She hissed. We climbed upward until we reached another door, which I was promptly shoved through. The hallway I now occupied was exactly like the first, except the windows were normal instead of stain-glassed.

"What in the world-" I began, but Angel cut me off mid-sentence by pointing out the window and shouting, "Look!" I snatched my sore wrist from her, massaging it with my opposite hand as I took a peek outside.

The windows showed a lovely view of the church courtyard, where all of Total's guests would soon be seated. The Flock was already there, as well as Ella, Jeb, my mom, and a couple people I didn't recognize that I guessed were members of CSM.

And behind them all, standing far to the side, in all his tall, blond, unwanted glory…

"No," I gasped, unable to believe it. I smacked the windowsill with my palm. "No freaking way! How did Dylan crash Total's wedding? Why would he _want _to?!"

"He didn't crash it," Angel said quietly. I looked away from the scene outside to see her blue eyes widen with worry, and some other solemn emotion I couldn't quite place. "He was invited. But that's not the problem."

I was about to disagree, as his presence seemed like a really, _really_ big problem, when she continued, "You have to talk to him, Max. During the reception."

I shook my head, and then stopped when I remembered Nudge's request to not mess up my hair. "I can't let him see me."

"He already knows you're here."

I ignored the six-year old with the logic skills. "I'll make it through my part in the ceremony, grab Fang and fly us outta there."

"No!" Angel exclaimed, and her voice contained so much panic that it threw me off guard. "He'll follow you. He just wants to talk, Max. But you have to keep him away from Fang." The way she said it made me realize that she wasn't intent on keeping the two apart for the same reasons I was- namely because I didn't want to have to break up a fistfight.

"What are you talking about?"

She didn't reply, just swallowed and stared at the ground, fiddling with her skirt.

"Angel, _what are you talking about?_" I was using my "mom" voice now, the tone that let her knew she'd better get talking or be in big trouble. The last time I'd had to use that voice with her was when the Gasman had mysteriously decided to let her give all of his G.I. Joe's makeovers.

Angel spoke slowly, still refusing to meet my eyes. "You know how I sometimes know that things are going to happen?"

I blinked, forcing myself to stay calm. "Yeah. Your visions."

"They're not really visions. Just… feelings."

"And?"

"Well, I kind of had one of those."

_"And?"_

She finally looked me in the eyes, her beautiful face like the angel of death. When she spoke again, her quiet words froze my heart.

"Fang's going to die." She lifted a pale finger toward the window, where I could still see the tiny figure of Dylan on the lawn. "And it's going to be _his_ fault."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/n- I've been having so much fun working on this story lately- I can't believe it's almost over! These chapters just keep getting longer and longer.**

**My beta's in Florida and I had to crunchtime edit this, so I apologize for any mistakes/weird spacing (My word processor kept messing up the lines for some reason.) And the ice sculpture in this chapter was inspired by a reviewer. (You know who you are :P.)**

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Max POV

The second the ceremony ended, I was on the move. Total's reception was being held in the miniature ballroom of a hotel near the church, so in such a small space it would be a breeze for me to track down loverbird.

It wasn't the first time I'd been wrong today.

The place was _packed. _Everywhere I looked there were people- around the buffet table, on the dance floor, standing by the walls. Where had they all _come_ from? Most of them hadn't even been at the ceremony!

I was pretty sure Total was too annoying to have this many friends.

Fang came up behind me silently. "You okay?"

I couldn't help it- I jumped again. "That's the second time today," I said, reminding him of our talk in the church hallway this morning.

"It's not my fault you're incredibly twitchy. Is something wrong?"

I was about to lie and say everything was fine when Angel appeared from the crowd. "Fang! I've been looking for you everywhere- Ella told me she needs your help moving some of Total's wedding presents to the car." He raised his eyebrows. "Who knew a make-your-own-fondue set could weigh so much, huh?" Angel smiled, looking so innocent and sweet that if I didn't know what she was trying to do, I wouldn't have trusted her.

Fang was obviously thinking the same thing, but before he had a chance to protest, I said, "Dance with me when you get back, okay?" and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. He nodded mutely, but his expression told me what he wouldn't say out loud: he knew we were hiding something from him. Guilt twisted in my stomach.

Angel watched Fang's back as he retreated to the parking lot. "Don't worry," she responded to my thoughts. "He's clueless. Dylan made himself scarce at the ceremony, so Fang didn't see him. If you make this quick, maybe you can keep it that way."

"Where is he?"

Naturally, she pointed across the dance floor, to the corner of the room that contained the most people. "Somewhere over there. Try not to make a scene."

"No guarantees." I started to wade through the crowd.

After spending ten minutes bumping into grinding couples and smashing several people's toes, I finally spotted him, looking uncomfortable in a chair beside a Great Dane ice sculpture (whose head looked uncannily like Total's.) "Max!" Dylan stood up when he saw me and grabbed my forearm like he thought I was going to try and run away. (Which I might have, under normal circumstances.) "We need to talk-" he began.

"Yeah, no kidding." I glanced around. We were in plain sight, and Fang could be back any second. "But not here."

Dylan looked pleased that I wasn't fighting him on the issue. "Come on." He grabbed my hand, and because backslapping him across the room would cause unwanted attention, I let him gently pull me towards the balcony.

When the frosted glass doors separated us from the rest of the party, I finally allowed myself to look at him directly. "You have two minutes to tell me why you're here." I held up two fingers to show how serious I was. "Just two."

"I want you to know that I love you, Max." He could have been making a remark about the nice weather. His tone wasn't laced with pleading or anything else- just the truth, as he saw it. Easy and simple as that.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "I know you do."

"You feel something for me, too," he said carefully, playing with my fingers. I yanked my hand out of his and put it behind me. The hostile gesture made him smile, just a little bit. "See? If you didn't, you wouldn't be so determined to keep your distance."

"You're delusional." I blurted, but blood was rushing to my cheeks. I knew it wouldn't escape his notice.

"Max," Dylan said softly. He reached out his hand to rub my arm, but dropped it, scowling, when I took a step back. "You don't have to be ashamed of it. We're designed to be together. You're _supposed_ to feel this way." I didn't say anything, knowing he would find a way to use every word I spoke against me. He sighed, frustrated, and glared at his shoes. "Of course, that's exactly why you won't." He shook his head slightly, rubbing a hand over his shiny hair. "You're so stubborn, Max."

Anger flared up in my chest. "If you knew me _half_ as well as you think you do, you'd know that _stubbornness_ is _not_ the reason I'm not falling all over you!"

Dylan shrugged, unbothered. "Of course it's not. You haven't caved yet because you don't want the whitecoats to be right. In your eyes, us being together would mean a victory for them." He looked up at me through his lashes, big blue eyes sad. "But it doesn't have to be like that, Max, not if you don't want it to be. We don't have to stick around for them. We can fly away, together. Hide where they'll never be able to find us."

Obviously, the scientists at the School hadn't instructed him on their methods of search and seizure.

"Are you freaking serious? Do you _really_ believe it's that easy?" I laughed dryly, but deep down his words were upsetting me. "I know what it's like, constantly being on the run for your life. Trust me, just this once; eventually, they will _always_ find you."

"Maybe they wouldn't…if there were only two of us."

At first, I didn't get what he was implying. And then my jaw dropped. Was this guy for real?

"Wow," I said, regaining my composure. I wasn't sure if I should hit him for suggesting something so crazy, or laugh at the absurdity of it. I chose the latter. "You're seriously insane, you know that? And downright _stupid_, if you think that I would just leave the flock."

Dylan shrugged. "Stranger things have been done in the name of love."

And then I snapped.

"Listen, _Dylan_," I snarled, jabbing him in the chest with my pointer finger. "Get this through that thick skull of yours: I. Do. Not. Love. You. Okay? Nor will I ever leave the flock for you. So, when this little chat of ours is over, _I'm_ going to go back to my family, _you_'re going to go back to whatever shell they hatched you from, and we are _never going to speak of this again._ Comprende?" I was practically frothing at the mouth by the time I finished.

Dylan glared at me so intensely that for a second I was worried that I'd gone too far. But then I decided I didn't care. I'd all but forgotten Angel telling me to not make a scene- if Dylan wanted to start a smackdown with me, I was more than happy to oblige. He may have been in training for years, but I'd been _surviving _since birth. I knew which was worth more.

But then his expression softened, and for a moment he looked so heartbroken that I almost felt bad for him.

"You really mean it, huh?" His voice was so soft it was almost a whisper. "You'll never leave. Not even if… even if you _did_ like me?"

I shook my head. "No. The Flock is my whole life. I could never leave them. Not even if I wanted to. I love him."

_Crap. _Not quite what I was planning.

"You have _got _to be kidding me!" All traces of gentleness were long gone- Dylan was practically spitting fire. "Seriously, Max? You're using _him _as a shield now? That's just _low_. Even for you."

Oh, what was _that _supposed to mean?! "I'm not using him for anything!" I yelled, and then lowered my voice when I remembered the party going on inside. "And I didn't mean to say that!"

"So you're telling me it's not true?" I could hear his wisps of hope beginning to reform.

"No! I mean, I'm not- I didn't- Ugh! It's none of your business!"

"The_ hell_ it's not-"

"It _isn't._" I stood firmly, arms crossed across my chest in defiance. "That's between me and Fang." Dylan winced at the name. "And it's been like that way before _you_ came along."

"Now _you're _the one being stupid!" Dylan slammed his fist against the balcony railing. "You're only fourteen, Max! It won't last between you! He's not going to stick around! But you know _I_-"

"You don't even know him," I interrupted before he could tell me he loved me again. "You're just jealous."

Dylan closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he spoke, it was with forced patience. "Yeah, Max, I'll admit it: I'm jealous. Who wouldn't be?" Another deep breath. "But I'm also a lot more realistic than you, and while I may not have a lot of firsthand experience, I've seen enough TV in my lifetime to tell you that teenage love is not the real thing." He sounded like a tired adult, warning his daughter that she shouldn't be planning on marrying her first boyfriend.

"Fang's different," I said obstinately, but suddenly I felt like just another whiny, oblivious teenage girl.

"Yeah, whatever you say, Max." The anger in his voice was gone, replaced by kind of removed pity, as if he already knew the way events played out, and they weren't in my favor. "I understand where you're coming from. I really do." He walked over to the double doors leading back into the party, and placed his hands on the handles. Without looking back at me, he said, "Just remember that when _he's_ gone, I'll still be around. You know where to find me." Almost as an afterthought, he added, "And I won't judge you, either."

And then he opened the doors and was gone, leaving me alone to wonder when things had gotten so out of my control.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N- So I posted a day later than I planned. Sue me.**

**In other news, remember way back when, when I said that this story would be 6 chapters long? I lied. It's going to be longer. But I'm not making any guarantees length-wise, because I'll keep changing my mind.**

**On to the interesting stuff.**

* * *

"_You haven't caved yet because you don't want the whitecoats to be right. In your eyes, us being together would mean a victory for them. But it doesn't have to be like that, Max, not if you don't want it to be. We don't have to stick around for them. We can fly away, together. Hide where they'll never be able to find us."_

_"Are you freaking serious? Do you really believe it's that easy? I know what it's like, constantly being on the run for your life. Trust me, just this once; eventually, they will _always_ find you."_

Dr. Roberts pressed pause on the video projector, and Dylan was brought back to reality- a dark room in the School, with his father standing next to him, reviewing the hotel security tapes that had recorded his brief conversation with Max at the dogs' wedding reception.

The conversation in which she'd rejected him.

His father said nothing, but Dylan could practically see the disappointment clouding his mind.

"I'm sorry," he said softly. "I've failed."

"Not you, son. This wasn't _your_ fault."

But it was. It had been his job to get Max to trust him. To _want_ to trust him. Maybe even to love him back. And he'd blown his one chance.

"Don't fall into the trap of blaming yourself." His father pressed the fast-forward button, causing the grainy, pixilated figures on the crappy tape move around in fast motion before he hit stop again. "Watch." And then Max's voice filled Dylan's ears.

"_The Flock is my whole life. I could never leave them. Not even if I wanted to. I love him."_

He couldn't take it anymore. Without even really thinking about it, Dylan's hand slammed down on the projector, hitting the pause button. It was painful enough to be rejected once. Being forced to watch it again was just an extra twist to the knife in his gut. "Why are you showing me this?" He could barely keep his voice from shaking.

"Don't you get it, Dylan?" his father asked. "Max isn't the problem here. She's not the obstacle you have to overcome. _He _is the only thing standing in your way."

It was true enough. But Max loved Fang, and presumably, Fang loved Max back. There was only one person who didn't fit into that equation.

"There's nothing I can do to fix that."

"Not true. There's a way to get him out of the picture."

Dylan sighed- as if he hadn't been trying to think of ways to get Max away from Fang all along. "What are you proposing?"

But his father didn't answer. Instead, he wandered over to a small desk in the corner of the room. Without saying anything, he pulled open a drawer and grabbed something out of it, before returning to his son.

"This," he said, sitting himself down in a swivel chair, "will be the answer to all of our problems." He scooted closer to his son and held open his palm- in it was a small, rectangular piece of metal with a single button on it. A remote. But it had no back- Dylan could see many colored wires sticking out of it, bent in different directions.

"That's great, Dad. You fix that and we won't have to get off the couch to change the channel anymore. But I don't see how it relates to me and Max."

"Did you know that the School has the power to… _deactivate_ any of its experiments? It's a built-in safety precaution, a last resort if you will, in case they grow too out of control." He paused in thought. "Of course, in the Flock's case, the scientists never dared to stoop to that extreme. Even when the Flock was at their worst, the School had never dreamed of killing them. Not when they were much more useful _alive_." Dylan couldn't look away from the shiny remote as his father turned it over in his hands. The light glinted off of it hypnotically. "Of course, _now…_ maybe it will suit our purposes better if…" he trailed off suggestively.

For a moment, Dylan froze, letting the words sink in. Part of him didn't want to understand them; didn't want to realize what the man he had always looked up to was suggesting.

"You want to… kill him?"

"We'd simply be tapping into his biggest weakness. You know he would do the same, if he had the chance."

Dylan was already sitting as still as a statue, but the words made his blood run cold. He'd never spoken to Fang- the only time they'd ever been in close proximity to each other, Dylan had been mostly focused on Max. The only thing he really remembered about the guy was that he was tall and wore too much black for Dylan's taste. (Seriously, was he posing as a bad-boy or something? _That _was the type of guy Max was into?)

But Fang _had_ to know that he had competition. After all, he'd been in the room when Dylan's father had given Max the whole "designed to be your perfect soul-mate" speech. For all either of them knew, the guy was aching for revenge.

Still, despite it, Fang struck Dylan as more of a… protector. He was second in command of a flock that half-consisted of younger kids. Kids that would need nearly constant care. And Max loved him, which, as much as Dylan hated to admit it, had to count for _something_. Maybe bad-boys _were_ her type. But a murderer definitely wasn't.

_A murderer._ Dylan shivered. If he agreed to his father's ludicrous plan, that's exactly what he would be. And then he would have no chance at winning Max's affection.

"I'd never be able to get in with the Flock if they found out."

"Trust me, the Flock won't be able to link it to you. They wouldn't dream of it." Dr Roberts stopped, then continued slyly, "Especially if he just _dropped_, mid-air. Dead before he hit the ground. Dead before anyone could figure out what was wrong with him. It would be _easy_."

"Easy," Dylan repeated softly. He could imagine it, and he hated himself for it. Fang's double helixes unspiraling… Unraveling…. Max, left in need of comfort-

No. Dylan knew that no matter how much jealousy or anger or pain he felt when it came to Fang, he would never be able to kill him. Not when Max loved him.

Dylan would never hurt anything that Max loved.

"I won't do it. I won't take anyone's life from them. I'm… I'm not an executioner." He blinked up at his father slowly.

For a moment, the man just stared back at him. And then, slowly, his expression changed into something that Dylan had never seen before. Something terrifying. Something… evil.

"You don't have a choice," he replied coolly.

And with those five words, Dylan would never consider the man to be his father again.

"I never agreed to this plan!" he hissed. " You can't make me kill someone."

The whitecoat simply shrugged, unmoved. "There was never a _plan_," he said calmly. "Just a big, controlled experiment. And now we have to change it according to unpredictable variables. Get with the program. Or do I need to remind you that you, too, are one of the School's experiments? " He clenched his hand meaningfully around the remote, and Dylan swallowed the lump that formed in his throat.

"There has to be another way to make this work," he gulped. He knew his voice sounded desperate. Like he was begging. "I won't do this!"

Dr. Roberts shrugged. "Fine. I'll give you a choice. You press this little button," he pointed to the remote in his hand, "which will kick in Fang's expiration date. Or I'll press _Max's. _

Dylan's mouth dropped open, but he quickly regained his composure. "You wouldn't dare," he said breathlessly, trying to call the bluff. "Max dying- it would defeat the purpose of everything we've worked so hard for!"

The whitecoat shrugged. "I can collect several choice cells from her still-warm corpse that will suit the School's purposes just fine. Max is a dud in the obedience category, anyway- our experiment with you and her is the only thing that's been standing in the way of her termination for the past couple of years.

"So who's it gonna be? Fang's life or Max's?" He leisurely swiveled his chair back and forth in a half circle, as if he were actually waiting for an answer.

Dylan couldn't believe how quickly the tables had turned. He understood the truth now- he had never been more than a pawn in the whitecoat's game. Useful to the cause, but disposable.

When silence met the man's words, he scoffed, and began fiddling with the remote again, snapping a piece of plastic into place on the device. "I'd make your choice soon, if I were you." He waved the piece of metal in the air forebodingly. "It's almost done."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N- Sorry it's taking a while; I have lot on my plate this summer. In a couple of days I'll be leaving for a two week camp, so sadly the next update is going to be on hold for a bit.**

**Here's to the anonymous review from Heart Torn Out. I don't know if you were trying to be funny, but you totally made my day. And a _much_ belated thanks to Kina Kalamari for pointing out my errors two chapters ago. You've probably forgotten about it by now, but I still think you deserve credit!**

**Hobey ho, let's go.**

* * *

At the moment, everything basically sucked.

I couldn't make myself relax and enjoy the rest of Total's reception after everything, and try as I might, I knew the others- particularly Fang- could tell.

"You look nervous," he had commented when I'd reemerged from the balcony where Dylan and I had had our little meeting. Nudge had bullied the two of us relentlessly until we'd agreed to slow dance, and so we'd shuffled awkwardly onto the dance floor, not really dancing as much as rocking back and forth while hugging.

"Really?" I'd asked, feigning innocence. It was one of the worst moves I could have made, considering Fang knew me better than I knew myself sometimes, but it wasn't like I was about to tell him that he could be headed to bird-kid heaven soon.

"Max." Fang's tone was flat and not amused. He pulled back from our embrace to give me a look that clearly stated that he wasn't in the mood for my BS. When I didn't say anything, he asked, "Does this have anything to do with the Dylan thing?"

I froze, and instantly wondered if he'd seen Dylan and me together. Then I realized he was talking about earlier, when we'd first met Dylan at the School. It felt like eons ago.

"Um… Kinda?"

He pulled me back to his chest. "Don't worry about it."

Cue my nervous chuckle. "Right."

But I couldn't _not _worry about it. Three whole days had passed since the wedding, and I was _losing my flippin' mind. _

"Um, Max? Are you okay?" Gazzy asked from the couch as I paced erratically across the living room. He and Nudge shared a look that clearly stated they were becoming concerned for my sanity. "You've been acting a little… _twitchy _lately."

"Not to mention OCD-like," Nudge added brightly. "That's the third time today you've rearranged those pencils on the coffee table."

I hadn't even noticed that I'd been doing it. "I'm fine! I'm fine!" I yelled a little too loudly, snatching my hands away from them. "I just… need some coffee!"

"You hate coffee."

"You know what?" I said. "Never mind. I'm just going to quietly go organize our home library by color."

"You already did that. By the way, your shirt's on backwards."

I looked down to see the tag sticking up in my face, before throwing my hands into the air in defeat. "I give up!" I shouted to the ceiling. "I can't win!" Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Gazzy and Nudge were staring at me wordlessly, as if contemplating the best way to wrestle me into a padded white van. "You know what? I'm going out. Serious need some air."

I'm pretty sure that last part was grammatically incorrect.

Outside, I leaned against the railing on my mom's huge, wraparound porch. I took a deep breath. _Calm down, _I ordered myself. _You're freaking them out. Get a grip._

I couldn't. Secretly, I was so afraid.

And I hated it.

I was so _weak._

_Be strong, Max. You always feel better when you have an action plan. _

But that was the problem: I'd been sweating over it for days, and I still had nothing.

I sighed in frustration and closed my eyes, letting the cool evening breeze wash over me. If only I could forget all my problems for _one minute…_

"Max? Are you okay?"

…but of course. It would never end.

Irritated, I snapped open my eyes and turned to look at the disturbance of my peace. He must have snuck up on me while I'd been preoccupied with worrying-another reason to drop the habit- and was now standing in front of me wearing an expression that was strangely apologetic.

Still, I had to fight to keep my cool. "Dylan," I hissed, "Why are you here?" I didn't bother asking how he knew where the Flock was staying. I'd rather not know.

He put his hands in his pockets and glanced around the yard, making sure we wouldn't be overheard. I wasn't worried- Iggy and Fang had gone flying a while ago, and after my little fit inside, the younger kids would be sure to give me all the alone time I needed.

"I came to apologize for what I said during our last conversation," he said softly. "I was mean, and I'm sorry. And also, I need to warn you." His tone at the end sounded almost… ominous.

I crossed my arms over my chest, not sure whether or not I should be amused. "Warn me? About what?"

He hesitated, and moved so that he was sitting on the porch railing, swinging his legs back and forth nervously. "You and the Flock… you need to get out of here. Before it's too late."

I raised an eyebrow, starting to doubt that he actually had something important to say. "Right…" I drawled. "Did your dear old daddy put you up to this?"

"No!" Dylan said quickly. "The opposite, actually- and he's not my father. Anymore." He shook his head rapidly, as if to clear it. "But that's not important. The point is, you need to take the Flock and get away from here before Dr. Roberts finds you guys. Or else, it's over." His eyes were wide, almost panicked, and he seemed like he sincerely believed what he was saying.

But if there was one thing I knew from experience, it was this: lying is easy.

"Why should I believe you? How do I know this isn't a trap?"

His expression was incredulous. "Um, because I'm telling you to _leave?"_

"It could be just another part of an elaborate scheme."

"This isn't the time to be stubborn, Max!" Dylan growled. I was making him angry. "Listen to what I'm trying to tell you! If you don't trust me now, you're going to regret it!"

"And why is that?"

"Because your boyfriend's _death_ will be on your hands!"

A gasp escaped from my lips. Just like that, my boiling aggression had vanished, leaving me coldblooded.

"What. Are. You. Talking. About." I demanded.

Dylan's eyes were wide. "I- I didn't mean to tell you that."

But there was no taking it back. "How is us staying here going to put Fang in jeopardy?" I snarled. I was dangerous now, and Dylan knew it, because he took a deep breath and didn't dance around the answer:

"Dr. Roberts wants to… take him out. He thinks that with Fang out of the way, you'll like me more." It seemed like he had more to say, but I had heard all that I needed to know. My decision was made in an instant.

"There's only one thing to do, then." The tone of my voice surprised me; it was extremely calm, distant. I wouldn't have thought it was possible to sound so _detached_ when the only solid thing I'd known was suddenly threatening to crumble.

Dylan's palms flew up into a _slow down _gesture. "No, Max, stop _right there_. I know how you think; you can't go after him."

"Really, now?" Despite the icy seriousness I felt in the moment, I couldn't help the sarcasm in my voice.

"It's too dangerous."

I bit back a hysteric cackle- _something is seriously wrong with me_- and forced myself to keep a straight face. "No, no, you're right." I inhaled and exhaled slowly. "I just… I don't know how the Flock's going to react to the news that we're leaving. The kids like knowing they have a warm bed waiting for them at night, you know?" I made my best concerned mother expression.

Dylan narrowed his eyes at me in suspicion. "Why are you suddenly agreeing with me?"

"Like I said, you're right. The School's always cooking up bigger baddies and scarier technology- I can't just charge in there blindly! I'd be toast." He wasn't buying it. "Seriously Dylan, I swear; I'm not going to toss myself into peril anytime soon."

He said nothing, just continued to stand there and stare at me with the same unwavering expression. Eventually I couldn't take it anymore. "What?"

His face broke into a grin. "I was just testing you. By the way, your shirt's on backwards."

I laughed dryly. "So I've been told."

_Lying is easy._


	8. Hiatus Message

A/N- Sorry guys, this isn't a new chapter. I know I haven't updated in a long, long, _long _time, so I figure it's time to let you know what's up with the status of this story.

Here's the deal: **I _will_ finish it. **I have never had any intentions to ditch this story- I know how it ends, and I will feel like a huge jerk if I leave even one person hanging. But you'll have to be patient, because it's going to be a while; I've had a lot going on in my life since the end of the summer, and now that school has started, I have even less free time. (Tenth grade is no picnic.)

So basically, this story is on an indefinite hiatus. There's only so much I can take on at one time, and sadly, writing keeps getting pushed lower and lower on the list of my priorities. (However, if I take more than a couple months, somebody should probably send me some hate-mail telling me to get on it. It's very motivating.)

Thanks for understanding.

- Music's Takes-Forever-To-Update-Her-Story Note


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